Second man charged in Benjamin Mendy rape case

Police investigating sexual assault allegations against Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy have charged a second man with rape, British police said Monday.

Mendy, a 27-year-old Frenchman, is being held in custody and faces a potential trial on rape and sexual assault charges.

Cheshire Police said a 40-year-old man, Louis Saha Matturie, from Eccles, Greater Manchester, has been charged with four counts of rape.

Police said the charges against Matturie related to alleged attacks against three complainants from April to August this year.

Mendy has been charged with attacks on three different women, including one under 18, at his home in Prestbury, Cheshire, between October 2020 and August this year.

Matturie has been remanded in custody and is set to appear at Chester Crown Court on Friday. Mendy is also due to appear in court that day.

Mendy has played 75 times for City over the past four years, winning three Premier League titles, but has seen his playing time limited by injuries and a loss of form.

He has just under two years left to run on a six-year contract.

The last of his 10 caps for France came in November 2019.

The footballer, who won the World Cup in 2018, has been suspended by the Premier League champions pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.